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Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!”

Shimei should have been ashamed of himself. He confronted David and his men. He went all in. He went all the way off like a mad man.

He threw things.

He cursed.

He called David out.

Imagine what would happen if he had not went off like that. Just think if he had not chosen to go that route.

David was at a low point.

David had lost everything.

David had lost the kingdom.

David had lost the kingdom to his own son Absalom.

The last thing he needed was a Shimei to kick him while he was down. Yet, David exercised restraint. He didn’t take Shimei out. He didn’t allow his men to do so either.

II Samuel 16:11-12 NKJV

And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.”

What is your Christian response to what others do to you?

Get even?

Get upset?

Go off?

Let the shame be on them. You have to deal with what you have to deal with anyhow.

He makes our access to God available to us. The work of Jesus upon the cross brought about the torn veil that led to the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the temple where access to God was limited to those of the priestly order. That was destroyed and torn in two by the sacrifice of Jesus. We, as believers through His shed blood, now have access to God.Take some time and spend it with God, meditating on the sacrifice of Jesus.

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. -Mark 6:17-20 (NRSV)

Pastors have a long history of political involvement. That is in contrast to the popular sentiment in America that tosses out the separation of church and state oftentimes during election years and controversial debates on issues like Planned Parenthood, stem cell research and gay marriage. Regardless of the platform, pastors have a history of braving the foray of politics through political involvement.

Adam Clayton Powell stands out as a pastor who turned to a life of politics for many years. Prior to ever campaigning for a political office, Powell spent much of his time outside of the pulpit pressuring New York’s city hall for policy changes. Powell demonstrates one manner by which pastors stood out in the political spectrum.

Jerry Falwell was involved in politics. Falwell led an evangelical Christian movement to bring morality back into the mainstream of American life. The Moral Majority pushed and pulled on all sorts of matters in the political arena from indecency and pornography to issues like prayer in schools.

Today’s pastors find themselves under fire when congregants and others share that they only want to hear the gospel message from the pastor. Many will argue for pastors to stay in the pulpit and stay out of politics.

The case can be made for pastors to go beyond many of their predecessors, though. Look at the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. There is an element of unrest in America today. Jesus could view a plasma TV screen today or an iPad and look on compassionately, seeing plenty of sheep without a shepherd in this plentiful harvest.

The fact is that we need more pastors involved in politics through advocacy and activism. We need them to stand in the midst of the mayhem like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took a nonviolent stance for civil rights and the poor. We need them to push the agenda with local and national politicians. We need them to testify the depths of disparity that exist on the streets and in our communities that extend beyond the homeless to the working poor and shrinking middle class of America.

In essence, we need more pastors who can deliver stirring words outside of the pulpit as much as we need them to handle the Word of God within the pulpit.

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. – Acts 1:14 (NIV)

The church needs to team up. The body of Christ needs to join together. As the verse says, the disciples of the Lord all joined together. When people team up, they can share and support one another. The common ground for each and every individual sets the stage for further collective action.

The acronym T.E.A.M. stands Totally Engaging All Members. The work of the church requires an engagement. Engaging others requires energy and effort. The people who are part of the body of Christ are to be engaged under the name of Christ, living out their lives in Christ and like Christ.

Our commitment to engage others will reveal our dedication to the goals and objectives of the team. The church may have some business functions, but it is an organization at its core. The church is organized under the Lord and in His name. Its essence is a universal body of believers in Christ, the Lamb of God and the risen Lord.

Team up! Exercise T.E.A.M. in your church and ministry. Take the time to engage other people. Engage people in love with grace, forgiveness and mercy. Truly, if you do so, you and your people will grow together as you strengthen one another. T.E.A.M. up!

6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. –Micah 6:6-8– (NIV)

What does God want you to do?

Have you ever pondered the question? Has your mind ever wondered about it? Have you ever had to search for such an answer?